Manufacture of wooden matches



3ep'c. 2 1924,

F. MANGE MANUFACTURE OF WOODE N MATCHES Filed Dec. 9.

1921 4 Sheets-Sheet l jnveizzih flanges,

M r/z C1925.

Sept. 2 1924.

F. MANGE MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN MATCHES Filed Dec. 9. 4 Sheets-Sheet 2- Sept. 2 1924. 1,506,850

F. MANGE MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN MATCHES Filed Dec.-9. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Big. 7.

Sept. 2 1924;

1,506,850 F. MANGE.

MANUFACTURE OF WOODEN MATCHES Filed Dec 9, v1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES rnnnnmo MANGE,

MANUFACTURE OF or PARIS, FRANCE.

WOODEN MATCHES.

Application filed December 9, 1921. Serial No. 521,187.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Fminiinic Manon, a citizen of the Swiss Republic, and resident of Paris, France, have invented new and useful Improvements Relating to the Manufacture of \Vooden Matches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact spec fi cation, and for which I have obtained a patent in Switzerland, No. 93,290, filed December 20, 1920.

This invention relates to the manufacture of wooden matches and has for its object to provide an improved method and machine for the production of wooden match sticks or stems from a wood timber in a rapid and economical manner.

According to the present invention a length of timber of suitable square or rectangular cross-section is first sawn transversely across the grain (direction of the fibre) into blocks, the length of each of which is equal to the length of the matches to be made, each block thus formed is then cut in the direction of the grain (d rection of the fibre) successively into uniform slices or sheets, of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the matches to be made, which are entirely severed from the said block, and are directly transferred, successively as they are cut off, into a receiving device in order to range them to a block of vertical slices or sheets, and finally such a rectangular block of vertical slices or sheets is cut perpendicularly to the slices or sheets successively into vertical rows of small wooden sticks, completely severed each from the other, which are directly transferred, successively as they are cut from the block of vertical slices or sheets, into a receiving device, in order to range them to a rectangular block of small wooden sticks in which the small wooden sticks are an ranged vertically close together side by side with one another without any intervening space, so that the block of vertical small sticks can be easily seized and gripped in its middle part by a clasping frame in which the match sticks can be subjected to a drying process before being impregnated at one end and tipped with the igniting material. During this drying process the humidity leaves the sticks, along their fibres,- at both ends of the sticks, avoiding thus any deformation of these latter.

In order to carry this process into effect, a machine is provided adapted first to cut the wood blocks into slices or sheets and then these latter into small sticks, in which the block to be cut (solid wood block or block composed of a bundle of wood slices or sheets) is pushed intermittently by means of a conveying device towards a guiding blade and held firmly against the said guiding blade, which co-operates with a knife and always moves backwards and forwards in the same direction therewith. The bevelled end of the guiding blade opposite to the knife edge is arranged to be parallel with the bevelled knife face ending at the knife edge in such a manner that between the said bevelled knife face and the bevelled end of the guiding blade a space or gap is formed which remains constant, during the cutting operation. Upon each cutting movement of the knife, which is moved obliquely to the grain (direction of the fibres) and is always parallel to the said grain (direction of the fibres), an end slice or sheet of the block is cutoff and by one side of the knife is forced through the said space or gap into a box-like receiving device and held therein in such a manner that the receiving device, after completion of the cutting stroke of the knife, can be: moved slightly away from the knife in order to permit of the backward movement of the guiding blade with the knife, and can subsequently again be moved towards the guiding blade and the knife.

The box-like receiving device is preferably provided with a spring actuated back wall, close to which lies the stack of wooden strips (either slices or sheets, or rows of wooden sticks) taken up by the device and which yields resiliently each time when a strip (slice or sheet or row of sticks) is forced in the receiving device whilst the last strip forced into the receiving device is retained therein by means of a pivoted, spring controlled, toothed gripper located near the inlet of the receiving device.

The machine is preferably provided with several of such receiving devices which take up consecutively such stacks of the above specified strips (slices or rows of sticks) and are arranged on a rotary table, by means of which a receiving device filled with cut slices or sticks of wood can, when removed from the cutting device, be carried away and be replaced in front of the cutting device by an empty one. By opening the cover or lid of a receiving device thus removed and carried away from the cutting device the wooden slices or sticks contained in the receiving device can be rendered accessible in such a manner that they can be removed from the machine in form of a rectangular block. In the case of slices, this block can be transferred to the above specified conveying device of another identical machine or of the same machine previously stopped for their final cutting into sticks, and, in the case of completely out sticks, this block can be seized by a clasping frame and gripped therein in order to be subjected to the drying process. A clasping frame of this kind is preferably formed of two angularly bent irons, the diagonally opposite ends of which pass through one another and are resiliently held in engagement by means of springs.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Figures 1 and 2 of which illustrate in frontand side elevation respectively by way of example a constructional form of the machine mostly shown diagram matically, the receiving devices being omitted in Figure 1 and certain parts of the mechanism serving to promote the movement of the receiving device and to stop the conveying device being omitted in both figures.

Figure 3 illustrates the process of cutting a wooden block into parallel slices or sheets, and

, Figure t shows the process of cutting the sheets or slices into small sticks.

Figure 5 illustrates a block of wooden sticks secured in a clasping frame.

Figure 6 is a section on the line O-O of Figure 2.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the clasping frame of Fig. 5 holding a block of sticks.

Fig. 8 shows the receiving device held against the cutting device during the cutting stroke of the knife, the guiding blade being slidably engaged into one of the'hort zontal grooves of the side walls of the receiving device.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show separately the mechanism for removing the receiving device slightly away from the cutting device after each cutting stroke in order to permit the backward movement of the guiding blade and the mechanism for removing and carrying away the receiving device'from the cutting device, when this latter has been filled up with slices or rows of sticks and for replacing it, in front of the cutting device, by an empty one and for stopping simultaneously the conveying device.

Fig. 12 shows how a length of timber is sawn transversely across the grain into blocks having each a length equal to the length of the matches to be made.

Such blocks of wood a the height of which is equal to the length of the matches to be wards in guides H inclined to the vertical by means of the rotary shaft F which is pro' vided with driving pulley D and a flywheel E. The knife B is connected to the fly wheel E by means of a connecting rod G while the guide blade C is driven by means of a rocking lever 0 connected through a connecting rod f a cross-head g and the connecting rod h to a crank which is rotated by a counter shaft driven by means of a belt f from the shaft F, the mechanism being so des gned that the space or gap 6 between the elements B and C always remains the same during the cutting operation.

The conveying device A comprises a table j carrying the blocks of wood a which are held in contact with the table j during the cutting stroke of the knife B by means of cross bars 70, which are pressed downwards by springs Z, these springs abutting against a frame m which by means of four rods 41 is connected to cranks arranged at the ends of two shafts 0, the central portions of these shafts being formed as eccentrics 79, each provided with an eccentric strap q. These elements 9 are connected together ,by means i of a connecting rod 9" which is connected at its centre to the end of one arm of a bell crank lever s, the other arm of which carries a roller 41 engaging with the periphery of a cam disc 3 liitl On each eccentric p rests a support an which is connected to two parallel conveying rails to dividing the table longitudinally, the rails 10 being grooved on their upper surface and movable horizontally. On the shaft t of the cam disc y is secured another cam disc 2 with the periphery of which a roller 4 carried by a lever 1 is caused to engage by means of a spring 2, the other end of the lever 1 being coupled, as indicated at 3, to the conveying rails to.

The conveying device A serves'to feed intermittently the blocks a resting on to the guide blade 0 after the return movement of the knife B. This is effected owing to the fact that, after the return of the knife B, the roller 4; on the bell crank lever s engages with the radially smaller portion of the cam disc 0y, thus rocking the eccentrics p by means of the connecting rod r and eccentric straps 9 so that the two c011- veying rails to are lowered slightly so as no longer to engage with the blocks a, whilst the frame on is raised by the ro'dsn and the pressure of the cross-bars is on the blocks a is relieved. Shortly afterwards the roller at of the lever 1 under the action of the spring 2 engages with the radially smaller portion of the cam disc 2, with the result that the two conveying rails to are pushed horizontally in the direction of the arrow 5 without carrying the blocks a along with them. When subsequently the roller '0 of the lever 8 passes on to the radially larger portion of the cam disc y, the eccentrics again raise the conveying rail carrier 00 with the conveying rails to so that the latter come in contact with the blocks a and the rods a draw the framem downwards, so that the compression of the spring Z is increased and a firm pressure of the blocks a on to the grooved conveying rails to takes place. As the roller 4 passes then from the radially smaller to the radially larger portion of the cam disc .2 the conveying rails 10 together with the blocks of wood a are carried forward by means of the lever 1 towards the guide blade 0 until the foremost block abuts against the blade C. The blocks a then remain stationary gripped between the conveying rails w and the cross bars 70 until the knife B with the blade C has completed its backward and forward movement and a slice or sheet, or a row of small wooden sticks, has been cut off from the foremost block and has been forced into the oppositely located box-like receiving device.

Figure 3 illustrates how the cutting of a slice or sheet from the block of wood a is effected, whilst Figure 4: shows the cutting of a block of slices or sheets into parallel rows of sticks on the same machine. In order to prevent in the latter case any possibility of falling out of the last sticks in any row of sticks a thrust bar L is provided adapted to enter between the knife B and the guide blade 0, as shown in Figure 4, towards the end of the cutting stroke, the bar L at each cutting stroke being given a small to-and-fro movement and in its inner end position engaging with a groove in the blade C.

The box-like receiving device K is slidably adapted upon a rotary table M together with the three other receiving devices K, which come into operation consecutively, that is to say, are brought consecutively opposite to the cutting device in the receiving position.

In its receiving position, an opening provided in front of the receiving device, opposite to the knife B and the blade G, is held in close contact with one of the fiat sides of the knife, as shown in Fig. 8, the guiding blade C being slidably engaged into grooves .29 provided in the corresponding side walls of the box-like receiving device and having a depth equal to the thickness of the matches to be made.

The receiving device, while in the receiving position, is moved back somewhat in the direction of the arrow 6, at the end of each cutting stroke of the knife, so that the return of the blade C can be effected unimpeded, that is to say, without any interference or meeting of the said blade with the last strip forced by the knife B into the receiving device. This return movement of the receiving device is effected by a lever 7 which is connected to the rotary table and which at one end engages with a pivot pin 8 on the receiving device and at the other end engages in a groove formed in a slide 9, which after each cutting stroke is moved away from and towards the knife B by means of a lever R and an automatic device. This latter device (Figs. 9, 10 and 11) may comprise a disc cam fixed on the shaft 2? receiving its rotation by a bevelled gear 3f) from a rotating shaft U receiving itself its movement from the shaft carrying the crank i (Fig. l) by means of an intermediary shaft V, two sprocket wheels 38, 38 and a chain 36, in such a manner that, at each cutting stroke of the knife B, the shaft t makes a complete rotation, during a part of which the end roller of a spring influenced lever 41 connected to the lever B by a connecting rod 42 engages with the radially larger portion of the disc cam 40, so that after each cutting stroke of the knife, the slide 9 is somewhat moved towards the knife B and consequently the receiving device K is slightly moved away from the cutting device by means of the lever 7, until the said end roller of the lever a1 passes on the radially smaller portion of the disc cam 40 and the rocking lever etl, the rod t2, the lever B, the slide 9 and the lever 7 are moved in the opposite or reverse direction and the front opening of the receiving device is again pressed against the cutting device. The back wall 10 of each receiving device is subject to the action of a spring 11, which acts on a rod 12 connected to this wall and to an arm 28 secured to the rotary table M, and thus tends always to press the back wall 10 towards the opening in the receiving device for the entry of the slice or sheet or row of sticks separated from the block of wood or stack'of sheets. Furthermore, on the lid or cover 13 of the receiving device, a pivoted toothed gripper 15 is provided which is subjected to the action of a spring 14, and serves to hold fast the last slice or sheet or the last row of sticks forced by the knife B into the receiving device. After the desired number of such slices or rows of sticks has entered the receiving device, the slide 9 receives a greater stroke by its driving device. as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, in order to bring the receiving device by means of the lever 7 into a backward 'posi tion, in which it is entirely removed from the cutting device, and the movement of the conveying device A is stopped until another empty receiving device is brought into position in front of the cutting device. The greater stroke of the slide 9 above referred to can be obtained by a pulley cam 30 fixed on a shaft 31 connected with a gear wheel mechanism 21 and carrying the loose element 33 of a coupling device whose movable element 32 is slidably keyed on the said shaft 31, and normally held out of engagement from the coupling element 33 by a spring so acting on a fork lever 341 mounted on a pivot 13 carrying an arm pressed continuously by its upper part against a lower extension 35 of the lever '12 (Figs. 10 and 11).

When the machine is running, a continuous rotation is communicated to the said loose element 33 of the coupling device from the shaft carrying the crank i (Figs. 1 and 11.) by two sprocketwheels 1-7, 4'? and a chain 16. If now the receiving device K has been filled up with the desired number of slices or rows of sticks, the lower extension 35 of the lever 12 will be pressed through the back wall 10 of the said receiving device, against the lever 3a. and this latter will move the coupling element 32 on the shaft 31 in order to bring it in engagement with the coupling element 33, so that the rotary motion of this latter will be trans mitted to the shaft 31 and the pulley cam 30 will actuate the lever R and give it the greater stroke necessary for removing the receiving device entirely from the cutting device. Simultaneously the rotation of the shaft 31 is transmitted to the gear wheel mechanism 21 serving to move the table M. As soon as the receiving device has reached its backward position, the table M executes a quarter of a revolution round a vertical axis, so that the receiving device filled with slices or sheets or rows of sticks is moved away and replaced by an empty receiving device which comes in front of the cutting device and is moved towards the said cutting device by the action of the slide 9 on the lever 7 in order that the entry opening of the receiving device is pressed against the blade C.

The rotation of the table M is effected by a gear wheel 25 connected to the table M,

which engages with a gear wheel 16 of the same diameter connected with a Maltese cross 13 having a cross groove 17, co-operating in such a manner with a roller 20 at the end of a crank arm 19 that upon a complete revolution being effected by the last wheel of the gear wheel mechanism 21 the Maltese cross 18 is carried therewith by the periodi- The stopping of the movement of the I conveying device above referred to, when the receiving device is brought: into the backward position, in which it is entirely removed from the cutting device until another empty device has been brought in front of the cutting device, is obtained in the following manner:

When the slidable co'upling element 32 is coupled with the element 33, an arm 18 keyed on the pivot 13 actuates by a connecting rod 19, an elbow lever 50 terminated by anose 51, so that this latter comes in such a position that it engages a projection 52 of the lever land prevents the movement of this latter and consequently the conveying of the wood block to be cut. I

After the table M has completed a half revolution the cover 13 of the receiving device rotated by- 180 is opened, its stack or block of sheets or sticks is seized and gripped by a clasping frame S (Figure 5) and laid upon the table 26 as will be seen from Figure 2. The frame S is preferably as shown in Figure 5, composed of two angularly bent irons 2 2, 23, which at their diagonally opposite ends pass through each other, these ends being pressed against one another by springs, so that as the wood dries and shrinks no loosening of the gripping of the sheets or sticks occurs. 7 i

What I claim is:

1. A method for the production of small sticks of wood for the manufacture of matches consisting in first sawing a length of timber across the grain (direction of the fibre) into blocks the length of each of which is equal to the length of the matches to be made, then cutting each of these blocks in the direction of the grain (direction of the fibre) successively into slices or sheetsentirely severed from the said block and having a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the matches to be made, transferring directly the said slices or sheets, successively as they are cut off, into a receiving device in order to range them to a block of vertical slices or sheets, cutting such a block of vertical slices or sheets perpendicularly to the slices or sheets successively into vertical rows'of small wooden sticks, completely severed each from the other, which are directly transferred, successively as they are cut from the block of vertical slices or sheets, into a receiving device in order to range them to a rectangular block in which the small wooden sticks are arranged close together side by side with one another without any intervening space, so that the block of vertical small sticks can be easily seized and gripped in its middle part by a clasping frame in which the match sticks can be subjected to a drying process before being impregnated at one end and tipped with the igniting material.

2. A machine for cutting wood for pro ducing small sticks of woods for the manufacture of matches, comprising a reciprocat ing knife having a vertical cutting edge and disposed to be moved obliquely to the grain of the wood (direction of the fibres), while its cutting edge remains always parallel to the said grain, a horizontally reciprocating, independently driven, fiat guiding blade parallel to and cooperating with the said knife and moving always backwards and forwards horizontally in the same direction therewith, a bevelled end of the guiding blade being constantly parallel to the bevelled face of the knife ending at the cutting edge so that between the said knife face and the bevelled end of the guiding blade a gap is formed which remains constant during the cutting operation, a conveying device for feeding forward intermittently a block to be cut and for holding it firmly against the guiding blade during the cutting stroke of the knife, at least one box-like receiving device having an opening held closely against the cutting knife and the guiding blade, during the cutting stroke of the knife and allowing the knife to force directly, by one of its fiat sides each strip severed from the block, through the said gap, into the said receiving device, and means for moving the receiving device slightly away from the knife at the end of its cutting stroke in order to permit of the backward movement of the guiding blade and for moving the receiving device again closely to the guiding blade at the end of its backward movement.

3. A machine for cutting wood for producing small sticks of woods for the manufacture of matches, comprising a reciproeating knife having vertical cutting edge and disposed to be moved obliquely to the grain of the wood (direction of the fibres), while its cutting edge remains always parallel to the said grain, a horizontally reciprocating, independently driven, flat guiding blade parallel to and cooperating with the said knife and moving always backwards and forwards horizontally in the same direction therewith, a bevelled end of the guiding blade being constantly parallel. to the bevelled face of the knife ending at the cutting edge so that between the said knife face and the bevelled end of the guiding blade a gap is formed which remains constant during the cutting operation, a conveying device for feeding forward intermittently a block to be cut and for holding it firmly against the guiding blade during the cutting stroke of the knife, at least one box-like receiving device having an opening held closely against the cutting knife and the guiding blade, during the cutting stroke of the knife and allowing the knife to force directly, by one of its flat sides each strip severed from the block, through the said gap, into the said receiving device, and means for moving the receiving device slightly away from the knife at the end of its cutting stroke in order to permit of the backward movement of the guiding blade and for moving the receiving device again closely to the guiding blade at the end of its backward movement, the said receiving device being provided on the one hand with. a spring controlled back wall, against which lies the stack of strips taken up by the device and which yields resiliently, when a strip severed by the knife is forced into the device, and on the other hand with a spring controlled, pivoted, toothed gripper for holding automatically fast in the receiving device the last strip introduced therein.

4. A machine for cutting wood for producing small sticks of woods for the manufacture of matches, comprising a reciprocating knife having a vertical cutting edge and disposed to be moved obliquely to the grain of the wood (direction of the fibres), while its cutting edge remains always parallel to the said grain, a horizontally reciprocating, independently driven, fiat guiding blade co operating with the said knife and moving always backwards and forwards horizontally in the same direction therewith, a bevelled end of the guiding blade being constantly parallel to the bevelled face of the knife ending at the cutting edge so that between the said knife face and the bevelled end of the guiding blade a gap is formed which remains constant during the cutting operation, a conveying device for feeding forward intermittently a block to be cut and for holding it firmly against the guiding blade during the cutting stroke of the knife and a plurality of receiving devices, arranged upon an intermittently rotatable table and radially movable thereon, which can be filled successively with strips severed by the knife from the block and forced into the receiving devices through the said gap by one side of the knife, the rotatable table bringing, as it rotates, an empty receiving device in front of the knife and the guiding blade in substitution of a receiving device filled up with the said strips.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 22d day of November, 1921, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

'FREDERIG MANGE.

Witnesses AMAND BITTER, AMAND BRAUN. 

